Third person's POV
Derek's hands trembled as he picked up the wedding ring and the letter. The simple act of opening the letter seemed to take an eternity, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
Alvin spoke up gravely, "Alpha Derek, let me do it."
There wasn't much difference between reading and not reading the letter. Everyone already knew what had happened.
But in his terror and grief, Derek slowly took out the letter. The familiar handwriting came into view.
In the past, when he was on a business trip, she would secretly write him letters. Not knowing the address, she would put her words in a bottle and bury it in the garden. He would discover them by chance. Then, every time he returned, the first thing he would do was to dig up her secret cave to see if there were any new letters.
Back then, her words and phrases were those of a lovely young girl, unlike this letter, which, despite its few words, was a clear farewell.
'Derek:
The endless pain is like a demon tightly wrapped around me. Every breath is a struggle on the edge of a blade. I no longer have the strength to continue this torment called 'life'. The bond between us, like a fragile thread, has already broken under the pull of fate. Perhaps death is my final destination. I only hope my soul can rest in the arms of the Moon Goddess. Tabitha's final words.'
Derek's vision blurred as the sky began to rain lightly.
Drops of water fell on the letter, blurring the line between Derek's tears and the rain from the sky.
He placed the letter over his heart and slowly knelt down, muttering, "Tabitha, I was wrong. Come back, please! Don't leave me. The one who should die is me."
He clenched the ring in his palm. That's the ring she had sold and discarded, yet he had picked it up again.
He would never forget the smile on Tabitha's face when she put on the ring.
"After putting on the wedding ring, I am your wife. Let's enjoy the rest of our life together."
During the time when he neglected her, she never took off it. He had even resized the ring smaller when she lost weight. Now, the ring had returned to its owner.
Her eyes were filled with determination, her voice as cold as the winter wind, declaring, "Our love in this life is like a broken mirror, beyond repair."
How heartless.
They had once loved each other so passionately, yet it ended with a conclusion of never meeting again.
Derek kissed Tabitha's ring, then took off his own wedding ring, placing the two rings neatly together.
He slowly got up and staggered towards the sea.
His mind was filled with Tabitha's face.
"Derek, don't leave me. I'm afraid of the dark."
"Let me go. I beg you! Don't do this to me."
Derek muttered, "Tabitha, don't be afraid. I'm coming to be with you."
'The seabed is very dark. She must be terrified.'
How painful it must have been when the water entered her chest.
She chose to leave in this way. And he would accompany her in the same manner.
'My dear Tabitha. Without you, I would be even more afraid. Let's leave together, accompanying each other on this path to death. So our souls are no longer alone in the darkness, just as we once leaned on each other in life.'
'With me, you won't be afraid of the dark.'
The sea breeze blew in his face, carrying a hazy mist. The sea was shrouded in dense fog, much like his disoriented life, leaving him without direction.
'Tabitha, when you left, did you ever think of me?'
'Love or hate, it all stays in this world.'
'From now on, we'll be together forever.'
Rolf and Alvin, seeing the situation was not right, quickly stopped Derek.
"Alpha Derek, calm down! You still have Kyrian. You can't die here."
"That's right. If you suicide, Kyrian will lose his mother and his father."
The words "father" pierced Derek's heart, reminding him of his childhood.
But he only hesitated for a moment before making his choice.
"I am about to embark on this irreversible journey. It is my helpless choice. Tell Andrea that I have failed her love and did not fulfill his filial duty. I hope she can be strong. Take care of Kyrian. Let him grow up healthily in the days without me. Don't let my departure become an indelible shadow in his life."
After saying that, Derek disregarded everything and leaped into the sea.
"Alpha Derek!"